In the English-speaking world, our approach to making cheese for most of the last 60 years has been like a Texas gunslinger's: kill bacteria, ask questions later. If it's not pasteurized, it's dangerous, the thinking goes.
But in France, raw milk cheese is a very big deal, long considered safe and revered for its flavor. The country cultivates its 350-plus cheeses — many of which are made with raw milk — like children, claiming that the bacteria in the raw milk impart unique characteristics – grassy, metallic, buttery and so on.
In recent years, America, England and Australia have discovered the pleasures of making their own farmhouse cheeses with raw milk, but it seems the French still have some secrets.
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